The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-04-27
TornadOes in Missouri, Arkansas and
Kentucky.
LARGE LOSS OF LIFE AND GREAT DESTRUCTION
OF PROPERTY.

LARGE LOSS OF LIFE AND GREAT DESTRUCTION
OF PROPERTY.
A cyclone swept over the northern part of
Vernon county, Mo, last Thursday evening,
dealing death and destruction wherever 1t
struck. The first place it touched was at
Metz township, passing through Metz, Usage
and Bluemount townships. Fences, houses,
barns and everything in the line of the
storm, which was half a mile wide were
picked up, rent into splnters and cast down
hundreds of yards away. Trees were torn
up by the roots, over thirty houses were
destroyed and about fifteen persons killed.
Only partial list of the dead has yet been
obtained, which is as follows: Mrs. Il.
Shrout, Miss Shrout "a daughter of Mrs.
Shrout), May Slower, j. G. Hawkins, John
Miller and Mrs John Miller. There were five
members of the Miller family, four of whom
were killed The baby, aged two, was
dropped in the yard and found unhurt next
morning. Parts of the Miller house and
furniture were found strewn over the fields
for mile from where the house formerly
stood. Reliable news has only been received
from Usage township, and it is thought the
death-roll will be swelled to over twenty
five. A heavy gale passed over Nevada,
Mo-, damaging the Methodist church and
other buildings, but none were seriously
injured.
At three o'clock Friday morning tornado
originating in the Indian Territory and
moving almost due east, passed through the
country four miles north and along the line
of the Little Rock Il Fort Smith railroad. 1t
was between quarter and half mile wide,
and near Ozark Franklin county, ii began
doing great damage to the trees, houses and
fences Farther east, near Coal Hill and at
GAINESVILLE, johnson county, the damage was
very serious and many persons were in
iured. Four miles from GAINESVILLE John
Reeds child, G. ID. Rowley's daughter and
child of Mr.. Petty were killed. The loss
to farmers in buildings, fences, stock and
growing crops is very heavy, but it cannot
be estimated. AT Ozark track three hun
dred yards wide was laid almost bare of
! timber and all sorts of improvements were
| blown in every direction. The residence of
Jonathan Worthy, where the funnel first
struck the ground, was blown forty feet
and leveled. Mr.. Worthy was badly hurt,
| but his family escaped by not being inside
the house. McCourt's church was COM
| pletely destroyed and one dwelling near by
| was leveled, but the members of the family
were so caught between the tmbers that
nobody was hurt.
Later details of these tornadoes show
increased destruction and loss of life
Prescott, Kansas, was almost completely
destroyed. A farmhouse near by was picked
up bodily, carried six hundred feet and
dropped in an orchard. Probably thirty
persons were killed and sixty others injured
by the two storms. Twenty-Five farm-houses
in GAINESVILLE, Ark, were demolished.
A tornado visited portion of Kentucky,
south of Cincinnati, early Friday morning.
AT Paris the tornado left a track four hun
dred yards wide, in which trees were
| leveled and houses unroofed The roof of
Turney, Clarke & Co.'S livery-stable was
carried across the street and left on John
Griffins residence, crushing it in. Over
bries' tobacco warehouse was also unroofed.
Mrs. Herrick's clearinghouse was almost
demolished and Whites distillery was blown
out of sight. Several residences were un-
rooted. The steeple of the Baptist church
was left leaning in dangerous condition
and the heavy roof of the Paris tlour-mills
was badly wrecked AT Saundersville, near
Lexington, the roof of the Commonwealth
Company's distillery and warehouse was
blown off.
A special from Greenville, Miss, says that
section of the country was visited by a
terrific thunderstorm, followed by heavy
hail that killed live stock and injured many
colored persons in Bolivar county. The
town of Huntington was nearly demolished.